[00:09] Good morning. Thanks for joining us. You're watching D Program with Ted Rall and John Kiriakou for Wednesday, March 25th. Good morning, John. And >> Good morning, Scott Santens. >> Happy Greek Independence Day. >> I just said that in an email. Happy Greek Independence Day. >> You're welcome. >> Yeah, thank you. >> Thank you. Thank you. If Lord Lord knows it was hard fought. Um so, let's uh well, we're going to be we have a little bit of house cleaning to do, a housekeeping. So, there's been some requests
[00:40] notable notable requests that Robbie and John and I have taken to heart, which is to try to make the mix of analysis and question and answer a little more manageable in the show. So, towards that end, I don't think there's going to be many complaints about this. We're going to continue to ask you to like, follow, and share the show. We're going to continue to take your questions Monday through Friday 9:00 a.m. But in addition, beginning next week, starting Wednesday, a week from today, at 12:00 noon Eastern time,
[01:11] we're going to be doing a live all Q&A show. We're going to be doing that Mondays and Wednesdays. But the first time we do it is going to be Wednesday so we can gear up for it. So, what does that mean practically? It means that if you have a question, particularly a super chat question, but any question, we'll put it in anytime. If it's super chats that are left over that we're not able to get to at the top of you know, during the program, which we'll have a little more time for analysis and John
[01:42] and I breaking down things to try to explain what we think is going to happen next, we're going to put that into we're going to kick those over to the Q&A shows on Wednesdays and Mondays at 12:00 noon. And in addition, during the live Q&A shows, those will be live. You'll be able to pose your questions there as well. And that'll just be Q&A. We won't be doing any, you know, analysis other than answering your questions. So, you know, feel free to, you know, tell us that that sucks or you think it's great or anything else you want to talk
[02:12] about in the chat or by email. Just let us know. But, you know, we think that's like right now, we're trying to, you know, we're still figuring things out and we're trying to make things work for everybody as as well as possible. So, Um we're also going to be So, today, obviously, we're going to be talking about VI Day, Victory in Iran Day, which Trump declared yesterday that we've won this, the war has been won. Or is it victory in victory in Trump's imagination day as troops head out
[02:43] there. We're going to talking about the 15-point peace plan proposal. John, I'm confused. I thought we only wanted unconditional surrender. Um >> Unconditional surrender. >> And ISIS at the airports, we'll be talking about that. And I thought this would be super interesting. We haven't talked about European elections in a little while. And, you know, Mette Frederiksen has kind of created a possible way forward for the very beleaguered European center-left parties like the traditional socialists
[03:14] who, you know, pretty much have been dead on arrival for a while. So, it's not like she's out of the woods, but she has a way forward. Anyway, we'll be talking about all that. We have some leftover questions from yesterday that we will get to. Ordinarily, in a situation like this, we would kick them over to the Q&A show. Again, if you're just joining us, we'll be doing that on Monday Wednesday 12:00 noon in addition to this. So, this is not the show is expanding. It's not shrinking like the country. Anyway, John, what do you what what would you
[03:45] like to talk about first or should we just do the get those old three questions out of the way and then >> let's answer the questions. I I I feel indebted to our questioners like we we owe them an answer. So, let's start with that. >> Totally. Okay, so Von Hicks, thanks for the $7.99 Australian dollars. I wish you three well and the pardon for John Kiriakou. Couldn't agree more. Thanks for to Araton Arthur Narcissian for the $4.99. Earlier asked about Armenia. Reason being that we're already being told to limit utility usage since
[04:17] oil supplies have slowed down from Iran. That's interesting. >> Yeah. So, what So, I guess the question is yeah. Well, that's more of a comment. That's actually good to know. Miss Sergeant 29, thanks for the five bucks. Governor Janet Mills is the governor of Maine. Kay Ivey is the governor of Alabama. >> is down south. Yeah. >> Mills actually stood up to Trump in person and in court. And finally, last but not least, James Kelly 9828, thanks for the five bucks. Just had a thought
[04:48] where you guys when you guys were talking about the wind farm. Would the US, this is for the French company that got is going to collect a billion dollars because the Trump administration's canceling their contract. Would the US going to green energy destroy the petrodollar? >> Yeah, that's a good question. >> I don't believe so. >> I don't think so. >> Yeah. How the That's just how these are international transactions between oil sellers and oil buyers would be carried out even if we were a 100% green country, those transactions would still
[05:20] continue to take place even outside of the United States. >> Yeah. >> Also, we're not going all green anyway. >> That's right. We're not going all green. I mean >> going partly really. >> Yeah. And even individual states that wanted to go all green like California which which mandated a transition to all electric vehicles by like 2035. Trump threw that all out. Just threw it right out. So, we're back to square one again. >> Yeah. So, shall we talk about VI day?
[05:52] >> Yeah, let's talk about VI day. >> But there's there's not going to be any like a hot nurses getting kissed in Times Square. Um so, okay, so basically Iran thinks it's winning. You and I kind of agree that Iran's more is winning more than the US is winning. US and Israel are blowing things up. But as the as the people of Vietnam can attest, blowing things up does not win a war. Um you know, we blew lots we blew up Vietnam like nobody's business. But we
[06:22] didn't win and that was with ground troops. Um there are about 2,000 Marines and the 82nd Airborne are headed to the war. John, first question for you, what do you think those those troops are going to do? I mean, 2,000 troops aren't going to make a dent in a ground in in a land invasion of Iran. I mean, what are they there for? Is it just support? >> Probably, but I think that we shouldn't overlook the the notion that this might be about Kharg Island. Which I think would be an absolute utter complete and total disaster.
[06:54] Did you see the statement from the Iranian the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, I think it was? He said we've been planning for something like this for 20 years. He said we welcome the Americans to Kharg Island. That that that's where their graves will be. >> I mean, of course that could just be rhetoric, but >> Asymmetrical warfare. They No way. They They watched exactly how things played out in Iraq and Afghanistan and they learned lessons from those wars. And so,
[07:25] if the US wants to send ground troops, the Iranians are welcoming the ground troops. Because the Iranians know, just like you and I do. We were talking about this yesterday or the day before yesterday. We would need hundreds of thousands of troops if we intended to really, you know, put boots on the ground in in Iran. And we're not doing that. We couldn't do it if we wanted to. >> No, we don't have them. And they'd have to stay there. >> Yeah, exactly. >> It would have to be like the, you know, the first Afghan War where the, you
[07:56] know, the Brits from 1839 to 1842 just camped out in Kabul. That worked out great for them, as I recall. Fantastic fantastic results. Uh everybody for people who don't know that history, all but one of them were killed. Um literally. >> Yeah, and they left one to tell the story. >> Yeah, Dr. William Brydon, Bryson, Biden, um I always forget. There's a fantastic There's a fantastic painting called Signal Catastrophe of him arriving at like the British checkpoint all covered, you know, filled with stab wounds and
[08:26] bullet wounds, like barely hanging on to his horse. Um so, okay, so what do what is what is going on here? I mean, the Israelis say they want to continue to fight for a few more weeks. Let's break it down. Two-part question for you, John. What What the Israelis say they haven't accomplished all their war aims. Okay, what are those war aims? And then number two, why um you know, why do they need a few more weeks to do that, right? And then number three, Trump clearly wants an off-ramp
[08:58] here. Um why? >> Yeah, he sure does want an off-ramp. Listen, the the Israeli war aims, war goals are unchanged even if the Israelis now acknowledge that they're impossible to achieve. It It's the the not just the decapitation of the Iranian government, but the removal of the entire theocracy, and more importantly, the removal of the IRGC. I think that both the Americans and the Israelis believe that they could
[09:29] work with the Iranian regular army. The regular army doesn't run the country. The IRGC runs the country. Hillary Clinton said something in 2009 that was surprisingly insightful coming from Hillary. She said that Iran is actually not a theocracy. It's a military dictatorship. And I think that that's largely correct. Now, with that said, there is not a level of opposition to
[10:00] the Iranian government inside Iran sufficient to topple the regime. >> Mhm. >> It's just not. Because even with sanctions, even with blockades, even with embargoes, the Iranian government is able to provide essentially what the Iranian people need to live. Um issues of freedom, democracy, transparency, those are separate. I'm not endorsing the Ayatollahs in any way. I'm just saying you cannot rely on
[10:35] so-called intelligence from the likes of the MEK, the Mujahedin-e Khalq, which is exactly what the Israelis are doing. And then the Israelis either pass that intelligence to the US or just make up out of whole cloth and pass it to the US and call it intelligence. And the next thing we know, we're mired in a war that we can't win. >> And what um unfortunately, thanks to the Reagan administration in the early days of the Islamic Revolution, there's no
[11:05] leftist party or organization that could organize the kind of overthrow of the government if that opportunity were to present itself. Having been there, I mean, it's been a while, but when I was there, um you know, this was not a country that was desperately barely hanging on for dear life and waiting to be overthrown, right? I mean, it has an it has an economy, it functions, basic services are are provided. Um you know, it it feels a lot like Turkey or Greece
[11:35] or you know, anywhere like in Eastern Europe. You know, it's one of the better you know, it's it's a modern functioning country. >> Yeah. >> And and also there's a lot of space for you know, for disobeying the mullahs, right? >> Mhm. >> People have parties. They all have parties after work. At at 5:00, you know, half of Tehran, all the all the blinds get drawn, music goes on low, bootleg scotch comes out. People are dancing.
[12:06] You know, women are are wearing that they're they're not completely veiled. They have the veil is hanging on barely by a thread to the back of their hair. You know, I mean, they wear the manteau, which is this sort of jacket like this that is sort of barely passes Islamic, you know, the the strictures of the of the government. >> Right. >> But there's flirting in the malls. You know, I mean, it's not a you know, it's not a bleak repressive regime to the extent that
[12:38] would be necessary to really cause people who are making a fairly decent living to freak out and risk their lives fighting, you know, government troops and cops in the streets. >> My partner is Iranian. Iranian-American. And she frequently watches YouTube videos of just street life in Tehran. It's just somebody's got a camera or phone and they're just walking down the street.
[13:09] And the video will go for an hour. And all you see is normal daily life. >> Yeah. >> The restaurants are full, the the little juice bars are full, traffic is driving everywhere, people going about their normal business, families are out walking around the parks. It's like it's just a normal normally functioning society. It's not the way most Americans imagine it. >> No, and that's not to say that like I
[13:40] think honestly if there were a plebiscite, free and fair elections, and Iranians could vote for what form of government they wanted for it would not be the present one. >> Right. >> It would certainly not be a restoration of the monarchy or the dictatorial Shah's son. Um it it would be something that looked like European parliamentary democracy, I think. But they're not going to get that vote is the problem. And um you know, they they can't. So for the time being you know >> Yeah. >> inertia inertia prevails.
[14:11] >> That's it. That's the bottom line. Yeah. >> And not And anyway, I don't think the US is that interested in regime change anyway. >> I don't either, actually. >> Um I think this is about you know, regional disruption. It's about you know It's about oil. It's about all the usual suspects. Um John, um let's talk about uh before we move on from Iran. Um Trump um apparently the US has sent Iran a 15-point peace plan proposal. So the
[14:41] highlights include Iran would agree to fully dismantle its nuclear capabilities. There'd be a permanent commitment on Iran's part to never pursue nuclear weapons and a requirement that any already enriched uranium be handed over. You know, John, to me that's almost like a punch list if I'm the Iranians and I didn't know what to do to do all the opposite stuff. >> And I'll add what that sounds like to me is the JCPOA. >> Yes, that's true.
[15:12] >> Mhm. >> And they're not going to I mean so first I mean there's just not they can't This is there's no starting point here. John, if I'm the if I'm the Iranians, I'm reading this as US weakness. Um like, oh >> Without any question. >> Mhm. >> Without any question. >> Just like I >> They Yeah, they they laugh when they hear the war's over, we win, we're going to start drawing down. Did you know I just read yesterday in the Greek press, the USS Gerald Ford is
[15:46] in Crete. It's not even in the in the region anymore. >> Really? >> Crete. Yeah. >> What's it doing there? Are they fixing the toilets? >> fix those toilets. Yeah. >> Wow. >> So, maybe that's why they maybe that's why we're sending the 2,000 uh you know, 82nd Airborne guys and the Marines. >> Yeah. >> to We're just switching them out. I mean, it's it's it's so So, Greg, sorry. >> Getting back to the issue of of the Marines, I'm sorry. >> Mhm. No, please. >> Uh the only thing I can envision, Ted,
[16:18] is we send Marines, let's say to Kharg Island, um which is where most of the refineries are. And I'm struggling to think of what there would be that would appropriately and adequately protect them. Why wouldn't the Iranians just shell Kharg Island and kill as many Marines as they possibly could? Why wouldn't they? >> You see, I don't understand, John, why why would the United States or um the
[16:49] supporters of the administration be lulled into thinking that capturing Kharg Island is the key to reopening the Strait of Hormuz. It doesn't reopen the Strait of Hormuz. It just puts you, you know, it just creates a big fat target for the Iranians. >> Yeah, that's exactly right. >> And also, by the way, if your object of reopening the Strait of Hormuz is to try to get oil global oil prices back under control, um shutting down a major oil supplier and refinery doesn't seem like really
[17:20] the right move. And you know, Iranian oil to global market, Iranian oil is as good as all other oil, right? I mean, they they want that out in the market. That's why they've de-sanctioned Iranian oil at sea. >> Yes. Yeah, John D. Rockefeller, exactly my point. He says the Marines will be able to take Kharg Island somewhat easily. Totally agree. The issue will be holding Kharg Island, which would be virtually impossible. >> That's the American That's always the American wars of our generation, John,
[17:51] right? Invasion's easy. Occupation is hard. I mean, you know, the Brits in 1839, they rolled right into Kabul, no muss, no fuss. >> Yep. >> You know, it's all right. Anything else you want to talk about that? I mean, I mean, obviously the Iranians are not going to give up their nuclear program. They'll accelerate it if they have any brains at all. >> I would. You know, I gave an interview yesterday to a podcast in Australia. It's the biggest podcast in Australia. We were talking about oil,
[18:22] and I said that the New York Times It's in today's New York Times, but they posted it yesterday. They have a graphic showing where Strait of Hormuz oil goes. >> Mhm. >> Literally not 1 oz of it comes to the United States. So, we don't we don't care one way or the other. But Australia, Japan, South Korea, India, they get all of their oil through the Strait of Hormuz. >> And their countries now with three Some of those countries are down to 3 weeks
[18:53] of supply. >> That's right. >> Um they're literally going to be like Cuba >> Yes. >> um right now. Um but I mean, what we do But John, we do care, right? I want to push back a little bit. We do care about that because it's a global market. So, if there's a shortfall there, it affects our it affects the price of oil globally. >> Yes. >> So, um okay, so uh let's take some questions, shall we? Um okay, an Israeli official proposed buying Greek islands with Jewish National Fund money to create a safe
[19:25] haven for Jews in emergencies. Um What do we think about that? >> Listen, my contacts in Cyprus tell me that the Israelis already have begun doing that, and the Israelis just 2 months ago opened the first ever Zionist high school. And it's called the Israeli Zionist High School of Cyprus for the sole purpose of raising Jewish students to be Zionists
[19:57] after they have fled to Cyprus from Israel. The Israelis over the last 5 years have been the top purchasers, international purchasers, of real estate in Greece. This year, I I I looked this up this morning, in August there was a a piece in Kathimerini, which is the the New York Times of of Greece, saying that Israeli citizens are buying Greek real estate at an unprecedented rate.
[20:28] And there's there's no end in sight. God knows Greeks can't afford to buy real estate. They're all emigrating to other, you know, Western European countries. It's It's not a good trend. >> It's It's sad. Um All right, uh Arian, thanks for the 999. Good morning, John and Ted. The uh the orange boy seems to be confused. I like the orange pig, as the Iranians call him. Seemed to be confused about these talks with Iran. Thoughts? Um also, uh France and South Korea have
[20:58] reported issues with oil supply. Seems like this is much more of a widespread issue. #pardonjohn. >> What do you think? >> Um yeah, I do think that like uh you know, Trump is not as sharp as he used to be. Uh, you know, none of us are maybe, but it's it is you know, these are the mixed messaging of you know, let's unconditional surrender or here's the peace plan we can negotiate or we're talking and it's going really well, but the Iranians say it's not or we're
[21:29] sending more troops and we're going to bomb the out of you. I mean, at a certain point it appears just flooded with from the Iranian stand point of view. You just ignore, right? And you just keep your head down and you just keep on keep on doing what you're doing. >> That's all you can do. Just keep on keeping on. I will say I'll repeat what I said yesterday. If I were Iranian, I would be complaining that I'm not getting enough from the Russians and the Chinese. I get that the Russians are
[22:01] giving them targeting information. We all expect that. I get that the Chinese have given them some GPS devices, some radar systems. But I would have expected more. >> Agreed. And there is a land route, you know, that in both cases >> a land route. Exactly. >> Why by the way, Cuba is on the ropes. Why hasn't Russia had promised to send oil >> to Mexico. >> So what happened? >> I don't know. It never arrived. >> Yeah, it never arrived. Like it's like
[22:31] what? The Russians just forgot to send it or I mean that doesn't make sense. >> And God knows the Mexicans have an ocean of oil. Why haven't the Mexicans sent it? >> Well, I think yeah, President Sheinbaum's obviously scared of Trump. >> Yes. >> Um, >> I think that's it. >> And she's yeah, we have that big common border. Um, thanks for the 999 from It's Mac Pro. Thoughts on the Polymarket bets. Report shows seven accounts betting on US and Israel military operations with a 93%
[23:02] success rate. Bets placed within a week or minutes before Trump's Truth Social post. My first thought is you're going to lose that money. That's my first thought. That might be my last thought. Um but well look, I do think I I I would love if we had a proper congressional oversight. Honestly, I really want to know if Trump and or his family and or his friends are profiteering from his Truth Social statements that are clearly
[23:33] if not manipulating markets, they're causing markets to bounce around in a highly predictable way, right? I mean John, if if you could issue a a you know a a a Twitter post tomorrow that said, you know, this or that about this or that stock and you knew what was going to happen, it would be very tempting to buy that stock or sell that stock short, right? I mean >> Yes, I have to agree. Hey, are you following this at all this Cal Cal sheet? Um uh app this these these predictive markets
[24:05] where you can bet money on anything. >> them. But I don't >> I'm thinking of actually downloading it and putting in 10 bucks just to see how it works. >> That's a good idea. We should both do it. Let's let's do it. >> Yeah, we can we can we can report on it. >> notes. Yeah, that that'll be fun. Like we should like invest like a hundred bucks total and just see what happens. All right. Cuz I think honestly, I would put my predictions up against John Bolton's anytime, you know. >> Oh my god, we would be head and shoulders above John Bolton. Cuz John
[24:37] Bolton is going to be one of those guys to predict that the MEK will march triumphantly into Tehran and everybody lives in the land of milk and honey. >> Totally. He's always wrong and yet he's always on TV. >> Always. Always on the the so-called left-wing shows. >> Yes, that's right. So-called. Um The The Mez, thanks for the Norwegian krona, I guess that is. 249, I love your content. John deserves a pardon, love from Norway. Appreciate you. Monkey Mind
[25:07] Matters, thanks for the 499. Where in Greece should I go on vacation this summer? Went to Crete and Athens last year and loved it. Nothing not to >> can tell you more easily where not to go. Don't go to Mykonos or Santorini. It's just a complete crush of humanity. It's mob scene and the shopkeepers will rip you off. >> Okay. >> I I you know, I'm actually if you have the time and you don't have your heart set on a on a beach although you can go to the beach. Um Thessaloniki is one of the greatest
[25:38] cities in Europe, whether you're interested in any era of history or you're a foodie or a film buff or a museum person, whatever your heart desires, they have it in Thessaloniki. It's amazing. If you want to go someplace where it's so rugged and isolated that it's the only place in all of Greece that the Turks were never able to conquer it's called the Mani, m a n i. It's on the southernmost part of the
[26:09] Peloponnesian Peninsula and it is magnificent. >> Awesome. Thank you for that, John. Man Child, thanks for the two bucks. Morning, y'all. In this era of of major wars, is the UN's inability to broker talks, enforce ceasefires or deploy peacekeepers a sign of institutional obsolescence or a calculated charter limit? >> Yeah, good question. >> I think it's the I think it's the former. >> Oh, I agree strongly. I agree strongly because we are still in that mindset
[26:40] where our our overwhelming force is going to cause the other side to sit across from our generals at a conference room table and sign articles of surrender. And those days are gone. That will never happen again. That's not the nature of warfare anymore. >> And the UN is impotent. >> Yeah, impotent. That's me. >> I mean, honestly, it should just be dissolved at this point. Um it cuz it's an embarrassment. Uh Unlikely Utopia two bucks, love the
[27:11] additional Q&As the show story. Can't wait. Um uh Bryson Smalls $4.99. Thank you. John, what was the time in the CIA when you most felt like you were in a James Bond movie? Although also thoughts on the portrayal of the CIA in Snowfall. >> Oh, Snowfall. I'm in love with Snowfall. Um the most James Bond-ish was uh Yeah, was around the Abu Zubaydah capture.
[27:43] Because it wasn't just electronic stuff that allowed us to find him. It was it was human intelligence. And that human intelligence became even better um when we finally grabbed Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. I mean, it it was all about, you know, that the the very basics of recruiting spies to steal secrets. That's what it came down to. >> John, did you ever get to >> And Snowfall is incredible.
[28:14] >> Did you get Did Did you ever get to play with any cool gadgets? >> Oh my god, yes. Oh, yeah. And especially in Pakistan, where Well, not just in Pakistan. You know what? I take that back. Not not especially. Um in in Athens, in Pakistan, in a Middle Eastern country that I'm not allowed to talk about. Um we experimented with cutting-edge uh stuff. >> Mhm. >> It was very exciting.
[28:45] >> That's cool. Did Did any of that stuff that you played with ever make its way into civilian life? You know how like duct >> of it did. Yeah, I tell the story about my very first day at the CIA. My boss was taking me to lunch and um I saw out of this window there there was this robot and I said, "Oh my god, there's a robot out there." And it was it was mowing the lawn in in an atrium. And um he said, "Oh yeah, yeah, we we
[29:16] invent stuff all the time and some of it we just can't figure out what the uh what the espionage application is." And so people just sort of play with them. Well, that thing became the Roomba. >> Oh, cool. >> It was about five, six years later. It became the Roomba and I remember the first time I saw a Roomba commercial, I was like, "Hey, I know that thing." It's exactly the same design, same shape and
[29:48] it turned out that yeah, it was it was the CIA technology. They ended up licensing >> own a patent? Do they Do Do they sell the patent? How does that work? Who gets the money? >> I was told that they licensed it. So they and it's more than 30 years now so the patent probably has lapsed. But um but yeah, the Roomba was a uh that was a CIA invention. Crazy >> Robbie, that's a clip. Okay, um in Cameron, uh thanks for the dollar
[30:18] ninety-nine. In your opinion, is Erica Kirk an Israeli asset? >> I just think that's that's too perfect. I No, I I don't think an asset, I mean the word asset has a very specific meaning. And so it means that she is paid to perform a service. >> Yeah, probably. >> Whether it's operational service or information. Um So I No.
[30:48] >> She's officially a piece of work though. Man, she's she defines the word the term merry widow. Um Marsha and Shadine, thanks for the two Canadian dollars. What might be the plan post Cargo invasion on Friday? Assuming you're you might know something I don't know. And Marjan thanks for becoming a member of the program. But what would be the plan? I mean, honestly, I don't think this administration or this Department of War/Defense has a plan. They're playing this by ear,
[31:19] right? They're kind of like taking it one step at a time. They don't have like they're not this is not even one-dimensional chess, right? This is nothing. It's just like they're kind of like let's push this button and see what happens. Yes. Yes, I think that's right. I and you know, I have to tell you, I I have a real problem thinking that that there are serious conversations taking
[31:49] place at the Pentagon about sending Marines on the ground to occupy to invade and occupy Cargo Island. I I have trouble thinking that anybody in his right mind would be advocating for something like that. >> Yeah, you well, you definitely are sending troops to their deaths really even more needlessly than usual, right? So there's no it's really stupid. Culture Junkie, thanks for the five euros. Hey guys, you mentioned in the past the role
[32:20] of Algeria as intermediaries in Iran. Can you expand also about the role of Algeria in the Sahel? >> You know, I have a lot of respect for the Algerians. The Algerians way back in in 1980, the Algerians approached us and said, "Listen, you guys have this hostage crisis in Iran. We're actually friendly with the Iranians because of our own revolutionary past, and you guys are good guys to us. So, what do you say
[32:51] we mediate between you and the Iranians?" And the Carter administration agreed. And it was the Algerians that negotiated the release of the American hostages. In part, the Iranians were probably worried that, you know, this this purported crazy person named Ronald Reagan was going to drop nuclear bombs on them if they didn't release the hostages. And Warren Christopher, who was the negotiator for the United States at the time, he was the Deputy Secretary of State, um they had made some
[33:23] inroads, but it was the Algerians that got our hostages out. >> I think it's hard to for people who are younger to um overstate just how terrifying to many people Ronald Reagan was. We thought he was a madman. John, I didn't have my I turned 18 in 1981, the year that Reagan took office. And I And um one of my first orders of business when I arrived in college in New York was to go down to the French consulate to get regularized and get my French passport and all that so that I
[33:53] could like leave if I had to. There was a line of 18 and 19 and 20-year-old French-American dudes around the block at the French consulate. And uh it was a zoo inside. And uh And finally, like I got this tap on the shoulder and this guy's like, "Follow me." He was the consul. We go into this giant room on a Fifth Avenue on the second floor. There's a huge state portrait of François Mitterrand hanging behind him. And he's like, are He's like, "I have one question for you. Are are you
[34:24] willing to uh serve in the French military if your country needs you?" And I said, "Absolutely, sir." He's like, "All right, approved. Boom. And uh And and and so that was that was that. And then he immediately said, you're in college, so I'm giving you a waiver so you don't have to serve. Cuz back then there was still conscription. >> You know, it's that that's very funny. When when I got my Greek citizenship, um uh I I was how old was I? I was 40
[34:54] Let me think. I was 46. And when I went to you you have to put your hand up in the air and take this oath of citizenship, of course, which I very happily did. And um and then I said, listen, if there's ever a war with the Turks, I'm going to be the first to volunteer. And they were like, uh no, that's we're not >> They're like, relax. Yeah, chill. Chill, dude.
[35:25] That's hilarious. Uh Um Pixel Shooter, thanks for the five bucks. You, what's up, boys? Okay, I tried to do that. Boys. Um Boring Adventure videos, five bucks, thanks so much. Thanks for mentioning Christopher Hitchens the other day. I really miss his literary work. I also wonder what he would say about today's environment. I wonder about that, too. Young Courthouse, John, I'm a student at JHU SAIS, where you first learned about Dasht-e Leili. >> Yes. >> me and a Pashtun classmate want to interview you about this in the school
[35:56] newspaper. >> Okay. >> How should I try to contact? >> Uh yeah, Robbie, can you uh can you get with Young Courthouse? >> Yeah. >> And um and we'll set that up. >> Dasht-e Leili is where they is the Afghan massacre. >> Yes. >> In yeah, yeah, I wrote about that. I I was I covered that uh in person at the time. Uh I've written some essays about it, um which you could probably search for. Um Uh is the goal Thank you the uh Vimal
[36:26] Nair. Thanks for the two Canadian dollars. Is the goal to get a Tonkin Gulf type incident in card and then a war? I don't think so. We already have a war. >> No, yeah. It it We we don't need any more to trick the American people into a war. We just say we're going to war whether you like it or not and we just do it. >> And we don't like it and it doesn't seem to matter. I mean, I don't know how Republicans Republicans are bragging they have a poll that's like 75% of Republicans are in favor of the war. You can't win a war
[36:57] with 75% of half the country, John. >> Yeah. No, you can't. We should say too there was a there was a major political upset last night. It was in the Florida Florida state legislature. It was Donald Trump's home district >> Mhm. >> in Palm Beach. It had never been Democratic before. >> Mhm. >> And two years ago or sorry, not two years ago, but four years ago when it was last up for for um election, the Republican won by 19
[37:27] percentage points. A Democrat with no experience whatsoever. I think she runs a yoga studio won by two percentage points last night. >> Maybe it's a really good yoga studio. >> I don't know, man, cuz the the Republican senator that she unseated was was a major honcho in the state legislature and they just threw him out and this is a heavily Republican district and one of the wealthiest districts in the entire state. There there's been a string now of
[37:58] something like 12 consecutive either special elections or off-year elections um and the Republicans have lost all 12. This is the same thing that the Democrats were struggling with in 2010. >> Mhm. >> And they just pretended that everything was fine. And then the then the 2010 elections when they finally came, the midterm elections were a bloodbath for the Democrats. >> Well, John, on the other hand, what can they do,
[38:28] right? I mean, like if what could the Republicans do to really change this picture? I mean, at this late stage, they're not going to change their policies, they're not going to change their tone. They're committed to this course of action. You know, they're they're going down the drain, they know it, they know it's coming, they just can't help it. And Robbie, when that beer if that ad still exists, um let's go ahead and and do it. Um Peter, uh thanks for the two bucks, uh and thanks for still being here. After the Great War, there was a proposal to
[39:00] make the area around Thessaloniki into a Jewish homeland. >> Uh well, you know what? In in during the Spanish Inquisition in the 15th century, thousands, tens of thousands of Jews moved to Greece, and they settled in Thessaloniki. And um they actually maintained their language over the course of of the five centuries. It was called Ladino. Um and it's still spoken in a couple of pockets of northern Greece.
[39:30] But when the Nazis came, they killed almost every single one of the I think it was then like 400,000, 600,000 Jews in northern Greece. On a percentage basis, Greece lost a higher percentage of its Jews than any other country in the world, even more than Poland. >> I think Estonia might have it beat, but yeah, it was a major >> Really? >> Yeah, as a major country, right? I mean, Greece I mean, Estonia was tiny. Um
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[41:01] middleman, no cancel button. The wallet is yours forever. Um, before we take move back to the questions, uh, very quickly, um, a video of ICE a couple days ago at San Francisco International Airport, um, arresting a 41-year-old mom and her, uh, 9-year-old daughter, uh, and saying very quickly that they were going to be It went viral. Um, they were being, uh, roughed up. Uh, people were crying, screaming "Shame!" and "Assholes!" at the ICE agents. Um, The New York Times
[41:32] has a piece today. Uh, turns out that the TSA tipped off ICE about this. And it turns out that TSA is turning over passenger lists of people who are flying uh, every day from American airports over to ICE so that ICE can detain anyone that they kind of feel like is on one of those passenger lists. Um, ICE has killed, I think it's safe to say murdered, American citizens. They've killed, um, you know, foreign nationals.
[42:03] They've brutalized, God knows how many people, both, uh, American citizens and green card holders, and, uh, you know, and foreign nationals. Uh, you know, they're they're they're goon squad. Uh, >> Yeah. >> So, and by the way, my first an aside question, how come they don't wear their masks at the airport? They're not worried about being doxxed at the airport? Only in the streets? >> Very exactly, man. >> Very weird. But, anyway, the point is is it safe to fly? I mean, I have to admit, I the right-wingers are saying they feel
[42:33] better, uh, you know, when they see ICE at the airport. I don't. I see undisciplined, unkempt, unshaven dudes with a hodgepodge of uniforms who are unaccountable, who look like hillbillies, who are heavily armed, and who can arrest you or beat you up or whatever, or worse. I mean, is it safe to fly whether you're a legal citizen or not? >> I you know, I agree completely. I see these guys as almost like vigilantes,
[43:04] where they they believe, rightly so far, that they can get away with anything they damn well please. As you said, you want to shoot an American citizen in the face cuz you don't like what he's saying? Just shoot him in the face. Nothing's going to happen to you. You want to brutalize somebody >> been an investigation into Alex Preddy. >> That's that's exactly >> maybe good. No investigation whatsoever. >> That's right. >> They killed two American citizens. Even if they want to say, "Okay, well, you know, we're going to let them off the hook." >> Right. >> Shouldn't they have some kind of process
[43:35] they have to go through after men after a homicide? >> Right. That's right. It's scandalous. >> Um, Phantasm, thanks for the $4.99. Do you think Iran was able to get any Epstein files? Maybe the recent Well, they are good hackers. Maybe the recent Iranian logo LEGO loser music video they released is hinting at that. It's possible. >> It is possible. Yeah. It's possible. I think it's more likely that the Israelis have the Epstein files. Because he was reporting directly to
[44:07] them, so Thus they have files. >> We don't know how secure they're they're being held, but probably not secure enough. Will, thanks for the three bucks. >> in the in the New York Times last week saying that the Israeli a lot of the Israeli targeting has been so good, especially inside Iranian cities, because the Israelis have successfully hacked into Iranian traffic cameras. >> Mhm. >> So they've got live eyes on every major intersection
[44:38] in the country. >> Yeah, maybe it's time to turn off those traffic cameras. Will, thanks for the three bucks. Hey Ted and John, love the show. Wondering how bad you think it can get in Australia if you fuel prices have already almost doubled. And it seems to have no end in sight. And Australia, as you said John, is a major um you know, destination point for that oil that goes through the Strait of Hormuz. >> Yes. >> I don't think there's a I don't think there's a ceiling that we've found yet. >> And the Japanese and the South Koreans
[45:08] are having exactly the same conversation. >> Singapore >> me ask you something, Ted. Let me ask you something, and I don't expect you to have an actual answer, but I'd love to get your opinion. >> Okay. >> But but shale oil is profitable when the price of oil is over $60 a barrel. Well, we're like 115 a barrel right now. Why has the administration not called for expansion of shale? >> And fracking in your state of Pennsylvania. That's a really good question. Um it would seem like I mean, maybe it's
[45:40] just that they don't expect this to last long enough so that, you know, if they I mean, cuz obviously it takes years to It's not like you can just turn on fracking and that's it. I mean, there's a lot of capital investment. There's a lot of regulatory stuff to get through. I think they think this is a They really think this is temporary. No question that they they believe that. >> Yeah, I think that's right. >> I think they're wrong, but we'll see. Joe Shanahan, thanks for the $9.99. Good morning, Ted, John, and Robbie. If you could gain access to any classified
[46:13] archive to gain knowledge about historical events kept secret, which archive and which event would it be? I'll put Robbie up, too. That's a great question. I got to think about that. >> question. >> There's not There's a lot. I mean, I have to admit, UFO files have always been of great interest to me. Uh JFK >> I would have to go JFK. And >> You know what? I was going to say the same thing. >> RFK >> We are now number six on Rumble, y'all.
[46:44] So, we are killing it. Thank you everyone for coming over and for the support. >> Yeah, that's awesome. Uh all right. So, thank you, Robbie. Um let's see. Uh John, have you ever watched uh thanks for pizza 304, five bucks. Have you ever watched Breaking Points? Would love to see you as a guest on there. >> Uh I have. Yeah, I I I would do that. I would do that, sure. >> Okay. Um Blue Mori, thanks for the $6.99 Canadian dollars. Don't understand why the US government is posturing towards
[47:14] Carg Island so overtly. Wouldn't it be wiser to sign to be silent about the plans or is that naive analysis? No, that's correct. >> normal people would be silent about the plans. Normal people who actually think these these issues through. Um but I'm wondering if the idea is just to scare the hell out of everybody. >> Yeah, that's that's the that's that seems to be the Trump administration way, right? It's It's a threat. Um obviously, the Iranians can prepare for it. It Do you think it could be a
[47:46] faint? Like f e i n t, like in other words, sort of like uh we're really going to attack somewhere else, but we're going to tell you we're attacking here. >> Right. Right. Could be. Um but that would be so silly, don't you think? >> It's a little stupid. Yeah. >> I I I I think so, too. >> I'm trying to I'm trying to wean myself off the R word. Several commenters in the have have complained about it. So, uh uh Manchild 5000 for the dollar, I thank you so much. Billy Waugh, first once spoke of a Vietnam era plan for
[48:17] tactical nukes. What's the current likelihood of using similar low-yield nuclear weapons to neutralize Iran's hardened underground infrastructure? >> I think that a lot of the people who are in positions of power today believe that they can justify that exact policy um and get away with it. I I'm very worried about that. >> It's not zero Yeah, the odds should be,
[48:48] but they are not zero. >> Yes. >> I think that the international opprobrium would be very severe, right? I think it would push the United States almost to the point of being considered a rogue state by the Europeans and the Chinese. I think a lot of countries would start They would you know, up until up to to where we are now, the US is is viewed as you guys are going too far or you're in danger of going too far. That would be
[49:20] actually going too far, I think. >> Yeah. Yeah. Way too far. >> Um Jackson McGrath Thanks for the two Australian dollars. But for the question you have, I think you're going to have to pay more. Can you find me a nice Greek girl, John? >> Um For a long time I looked for one. I married one that I thought was good, and that was a disaster. I wouldn't wish you wish her on you. Um
[49:52] Yeah, sorry. You're asking the wrong guy. >> You know, I used to So, you know, do you know have you ever been John, have you ever been to Tom's Diner in New York at Broadway and 112th Street near Columbia University? Da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da right? This is a Suzanne Vega song. It's where for people who haven't been to New York, it's the the the diner at the in the opening credits of Seinfeld. >> Seinfeld. >> That was my home diner and it's it was a Greek diner. It isn't really a Greek diner anymore, but it was a traditional Greek diner and I used to go there for decades. Almost every single day. I mean to the
[50:23] point where I could sit down and they just bring me my the dish that I always ordered and I didn't even have to order it, right? Anyway, one day my my waitress is like she there's like three of them. They all surround me and they're like Ted, like don't you you you should be with a nice Greek girl instead of the you always bring in here? And I was like I was like, "Excuse me?" And they're like, "Oh, we see you in the morning like coming in with this one and that one." And it's like he's like, "Don't
[50:54] you think you should Look at her behind the cash register, isn't she beautiful?" I'm like, "Uh-huh." And then they're like, "Well, don't you want to go out with her?" And I'm like, "No, because if I mess it up and it doesn't work out, I won't be able to eat here anymore." >> Oh my god. >> So. Rachel 1284, hello John Ted and Robbie. Question for John, in your time, what was the most bat-shit crazy operation
[51:25] that was proposed that made you say, "Who the hell is behind this?" I love this question. >> Well, I will tell you very proudly that in one of my promotion panels one of the psychiatrists that I worked with operationally in the Middle East told my promotion panel John Kiriakou will come up with 40 ideas for an operation. 36 of them are batshit
[51:55] crazy, but four of them are going to be really awesome." And they promoted me. >> That's awesome. Um, John, let's talk about the Danish elections. So, um, Prime Minister Met, uh, is it Metty or Met? I don't know. Frederiksen. Um, she, uh, has prevailed. Um, she appears to be within shot of a forming a governing coalition. She's going to have to She has some hoops that she has to jump through.
[52:26] Um, the hard left, which got between 6 or 7% of the vote, is kind of saying it needs to be a true left-wing government. Um, which she, obviously, they're just negotiating. But, look, the center left, like the French Socialist Party, basically, all these old, sort of 1980s constructions were pretty much dead, um, as of about a year ago. And now you're seeing like, uh, in Spain, the local election Castilla y León, um, in regional elections in Marseille and
[52:57] Paris, uh, Slovenia, and now Denmark. There's a model for the for the traditional center left, uh, which is the Social Democrats, which is stand up to the Americans, stand up to Donald Trump in the case of Denmark, uh, in Greenland, like, you know, bomb sending troops and setting up explosives to bomb, uh, Greenlander runways in case of an American invasion, telling Trump to off. That seems to be the sweet spot. Um, you know, I mean, is that going to be enough to revive the
[53:28] center left in a highly polarized European electoral environment? >> I think I think we'll only be able to tell country by country by country. And the reason I say that is I had exactly this conversation yesterday with a Greek whistleblower that I'm I'm very friendly with. And he we were talking about how the center-left parties and the left parties can protect themselves electorally in the current international
[53:59] situation. And he said, "In Greece, they just have abandoned the left." He said, "Even all the the left and center-left parties, including the Greek Communist Party, the KKE, it's a Stalinist party. They've all jumped right into bed with the Israelis. And whatever Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu want to do, they're all in. So, I think that if we're going to take a lesson from this, we should take a lesson from the Danes and the Spanish
[54:30] and maybe the French, we'll see. The jury's still out. >> Yeah. >> But not from the Greeks and and not from the Italians who have just like they're whistling past the graveyard, pretending that everything's fine and if they just ignore this whole issue for long enough, it'll go away and they're going to be all right. >> I mean, up until the aughts, I would have said that, you know, the center-left is where Europe and Central Europe sort of naturally belongs >> Without a doubt. >> people. I wouldn't say that anymore um because
[55:00] not that the center cuz basically the center-left became like sort of Tony Blair-ized and um the and then like the the hard right has really sort of found a way forward through hard nationalism and populism and uh and and uh you know, sort of avoiding international conflict, you know, becoming more isolationist. Uh so, it became so that like open that created the opening for the far left like Melenchon in France. >> Yes, indeed. >> So, I don't know. I guess the point is
[55:32] center-left is kind of like uh you know, like in the movie, not dead yet. Um Can't too early to say that they're going to thrive though. Jarvis, thanks for the 10 bucks. Hey guys, thanks for all you do. Do you think this will be a drawn out conflict or do you think we'll reach a de facto stalemate and declare victory? Who actually wins? Praying for John's pardon. >> Thank you. >> Three things >> my my position from the very beginning is that Trump is just going to We're going to wake up one morning and he will have posted on Truth Social at 4:00 in the morning, we won, it's all over.
[56:04] It's a giant historic American victory. He's pulling everybody out and they're coming home. >> Well, he started that process yesterday. So, there's no question that you're right about that. Um the I mean, I guess the question is will the Iranians insist on a permanent solution? In other words, could they say, "We're not opening the Strait of Hormuz. We're not stopping our struggle until you and the Israelis off and leave us alone permanently." >> Yeah.
[56:35] >> Um Okay. Uh Big Chip and 88 says, "Stop the euphemism treadmill. Embrace quote unquote the R word, which I will not embrace today." Only today. Um Okay, quick couple quick questions. Black Panther um What is the role of Pakistan in its mediation with the Iran? Pakistan's also a security provider to Saudi Arabia security personnel. What kind of hold do they have on the Iranians? >> The you know, interestingly enough, the
[57:05] Pakistanis would never have made that offer had the Saudis not approved. So, I I'm not sure exactly what we're seeing here. I I was speaking to I was speaking to a former US ambassador to a Gulf country yesterday. And he said that I I said to him, "I was surprised that Mohammed bin Salman went to the White House yesterday and then made a public statement calling on the US to just destroy Iran. When it took
[57:37] them 15 years to reestablish diplomatic relations, and that was actually a foreign policy coup for for the Saudi royal family. >> Yeah. >> And he said, "What makes you think that the message in private was the same as the message in public?" >> We talked about that yesterday. >> That's good. Yes. >> Yeah. I think I think >> MBS is has a long history of that. He's the He's the literally the king of, you know, like, "Oh, I've got to say this
[58:08] for public consumption, but in reality Yeah. It's all It's all about what's going on behind closed doors. Um Okay, so uh let's see. From your X account, shoutout to John from the dollar sign CIA community. That's from Seka 310. >> Hey, thank you. That's the That's the new CIA coin, the new crypto coin. >> Oh, are you going to Speaking of which, are you going to buy the new Trump coin, the new gold >> No reason to, because cuz now there's a John coin.
[58:39] >> Is there John coin? >> Yeah. It's It's #CIAcoin. >> Is it Is it crypto? >> It's crypto. I just jumped in yesterday. >> Oh my god, I'll have to check it out, John. Thank you so much. I can't think of a better Racey, thanks for the dollar. Nazi retards. Oh, that did it. off. Dead Kennedy's new song, Ted. Hilarious. All right, guys. Thanks so much for tuning in. We'll be back Thursday tomorrow, 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time. We're here Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time. And don't forget, starting next week, Wednesday and Monday also at 9:00
[59:11] a.m. Sorry, at 12:00 noon for Q&A only. and that'll be live as well. So, we're going from 5 to 7 hours a week. John, always a pleasure. Looking forward to more show. Stay tuned for TMI show with Manila Chan and myself coming up right now. Bye.